It is the day of the shuttle flight to the space station. You are in your very own space suit. You are hardly ever spoken to, you are totally isolated and you haven't been to a toilet in days.
Suddenly you hear a distant but seemingly close roar. The rumble and tremble seems to be coming closer.
We are no longer a space age. After the accident, if you ask after our involvement in space travel, you will receive a sad and hollow laugh in reply. We are no longer a nation that can pioneer, who can achieve the impossible. We are just a group that can now and then shrug off a calamity.
The human race is at an impasse. We are no longer the slave of evolution, the free thought of humankind combined into one. We are a society that contains a single voice.
The orbital mission had left one week earlier. It was a daunting journey for the rickety shuttle. The vessel was barely on the ground when disaster struck. A cascade of rock, ice and debris from the celestial debris field rained upon the shuttle from above.
Fortunately all of the crew had been able to operate the life support systems and survived. Though all were injured and half of them, those in the corridors, were killed.
The vessel's life support systems had being destroyed and the whole of the shuttle was on fire soon after landing. The well crew, however, was lucky enough have been quick off the blocks and had contained most of the fires within the vessel's main airlock. Once they had blasted out of the airlock at full speed, they were able to set up a perimeter and prevent the flames from spreading further. There were two crew left behind but these two were able to return to the main base for medical attention. The rest of the crew barely returned alive and on their own.
The orbital station that was orbiting the Earth within the atmosphere was also destroyed. All the modules destroyed with the station itself. The sole survivor of the station was huddled in a see-through pod.
The pod, though it was made from the same material as the station, was the only part that survived. The captive within the getaway pod was the saboteur of the mission.
He made the executive decision never to return to the Base. He would fault the wreckage on his death. He would be the only foreigner for the first time in a century.
The saboteur projected his thoughts as a hologram to the main base. His cheery image was a clear projection from the near future. Once the chief has settled down, they can begin their discussion.
He could read their faces, though his projection must have been burnt in their minds.
"I am sorry for the loss of your shuttle and the orbital craft," began the holograph. "But this mission has been a success. Your civilization has the potential to now move forward."
The Chief was willing to start negotiations, he was happy that the saboteur would now be on their side. But he was also distrustful if this hologram was genuinely a part of their future.
"If that is true, then why have you not left this pod and joined us?" he cannot remember all the small details of the digital recording.
Because he doesn't expect this in the future. The saboteur decides to explain his actions.
"What is the point of me being with you?" he shrugs. "We have little productive output. We have no invention. We are ready to return to the mountain caves."
The saboteur shows the Chief some of what he has seen with the telescope. A few of the crew are able to see the image on the screen. The image shows a raised hand. It's the saboteur. He is waving bye to you.
"I have seen the future." He can sense that they have now believed him. "And what I want is for you to start thinking about the future. You must think in terms of success, not failure. I am sorry for the loss of our shuttle and the orbital craft, but what has occurred in the future will cause you to shift course," he is now trying to convince them.
None of them, does however, think to what happens when the human race collides with itself to such a great extent that all movements cease.
They have created the time machine, but they also have settled on giving it to the saboteur. They are willing to sacrifice their own culture and scientific growth to travel 37 million years into the future. At first, the sceptics thought to what would happen if the pilot did not want to get ready for launch.
They have now, since then, come to believe that the pilot will agree to the operation.
The chief wants his crew to continue with the operation. He wants them look for the saboteur in the future.
They are willing to travel the 37 million years into the future on the condition of being able to face the future if they fail. If they fail they will return to the base.
The saboteur wants to have the shuttle joined to their ship and keeps trying to convince them to start the mission. They will be able to travel 35 million years into the future to have a look at the saboteur.
They have stop looking after so long in the cave. The saboteur will not come back and talk of the future, anyway.
We are to all be the same at the 37 million years. No, we will all be the same at the 35 million years in the future. There is a recent discovery that you should know about.
The Chief realizes the potential discrepancy between the 35 and 37 million years. The pilot feels that the difference is also okay.
We must be able to tell the future from the past. This research is crucial to our future development. If you know what is in store, you will be able to be prepared.
